Riverside, Californiahttp://seizingourdestiny.com
is a city that honors and builds on its assets to become known as a location of choice that catalyzes innovation in all forms, enjoys a high quality of life and is unified in pursuing the common good.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:13:21 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1CBU Earns Tree Campus USA Recognitionhttp://seizingourdestiny.com/cbu-earns-tree-campus-usa-recognition/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/cbu-earns-tree-campus-usa-recognition/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 17:33:52 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9341Continue reading CBU Earns Tree Campus USA Recognition→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article published in CBU News & Events on March 26, 2015.)Photo Credit: CBU News & Events

Tree Campus USA, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. CBU received notification last week that it received the honor.

To earn the distinction, CBU had to meet the five standards required by Tree Campus USA: establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.

“California Baptist University is very proud to receive the 2015 Tree Campus USA recognition,” Koo said. “Our effort of conservation, sustainability and environmental stewardship is part of CBU’S core value. The passion of our students, faculty and staff is the reason for this achievement.” With the growing concern of climate change and pollution from fossil fuels, CBU is taking steps to reduce their foot print on the environment and promote the quality of life for all through intelligent growth of their campus.

Students, faculty and other volunteers planted 10 trees on campus last November as an early Arbor Day observance and to meet some of the required standards. There will be a spring Arbor Day celebration on March 28, when 15 trees will be planted. Anyone interested in helping will meet at the front of the campus near the flag poles at 9 a.m. Planting will take place from 9:15 a.m. to noon.

What does replacing fluorescent light bulbs with LEDs have to do with solar-heated washing machines, energy audits, resin-hardened clothing or a color-coded map that illustrates air pollution? They’re all proposals from UC Riverside students to help the campus achieve the University of California’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2025.

The university received 38 proposals in less than three weeks for UC President Janet Neapolitan’s new Sustainability Student Fellowship/Internship Program, the most received by any UC campus, said UCR’s Director of Sustainability John Cook.

Napolitano’s office provided $7,500 to each of the UC’s 10 campuses in February to encourage students to get involved in the UC’s carbon neutrality and sustainability goals, which include getting each campus back to the same level of emissions it had in 1990. That’s a huge task for UC Riverside, Cook said, because the campus has grown from about 6,000 students in 1990 to more than 22,000 today, with expanded research programs and new schools of engineering and medicine that didn’t exist before.

“We have the biggest challenge of all the UCs, but we can figure it out,” Cook said. “We have the willpower and brainpower on campus to do it, and that’s what this fellowship does; it puts the brainpower and student engagement together, so we can all be a part of the solution and it’s not just something that happens at the physical plant somewhere. It’s the whole campus working together.”

The five winning proposals will each receive $1,500 to complete their projects by the end of 2015, said Matt Barth, UCR professor of electrical and chemical engineering and a member of the UC Global Climate Leadership Counsel. Barth and Cook helped choose the winning proposals along with UCR Professor of Geology Mary Droser, who sits on the education subcommittee of the UC Global Climate Leadership Counsel.

“I would definitely say all the applications were great,” said Barth. “We were extremely surprised to get so many applications with such a short turnaround period. This fellowship is giving students a chance to show off their ideas while helping us meet our sustainability goals, and they’ve given us some pretty good stuff.”

UCR’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2025 demonstrates what makes UCR and Riverside a catalyst for innovation. Creativity and innovation permeate all that we do, which makes our community a trendsetter for the region, California, and the world to follow.

]]>http://seizingourdestiny.com/five-uc-riverside-students-awarded-1500-sustainability-fellowships/feed/075 Prom Gowns Donated To The Princess Treatment Dresses Campaignhttp://seizingourdestiny.com/75-prom-gowns-donated-to-the-princess-treatment-dresses-campaign/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/75-prom-gowns-donated-to-the-princess-treatment-dresses-campaign/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 17:31:50 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9331Continue reading 75 Prom Gowns Donated To The Princess Treatment Dresses Campaign→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article written by Laurie Williams and published in The Press Enterprise on March 25, 2015.)Martin Luther King High School student Caitlyn Kent holds two of some 75 donated prom dresses she has collected for girls who cant afford to buy new ones. Photo Credit: Laurie Williams

Becoming an orthodontist is Caitlyn Kent’s ultimate goal, but at 16 she has another plan for making people smile – with elegant couture rather than metal bands.

An 11th-grader at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Kent said she has been hearing for months about how expensive it is to go to the prom. Some of her friends are saying they might not even go because they can’t afford dresses, which can cost hundreds of dollars.

“With the dress, shoes, accessories and dinner it can add up to nearly $1,000,” she said. “That’s just not possible for a lot of girls.”

So she launched Princess Treatment Dresses, a campaign to find gowns for girls who otherwise would not be able to afford them. She posted online through sites like Craigslist and put up fliers at stores and restaurants in the neighborhood of the school.

She asked people to think about donating gowns they have hanging in their closets and might not ever wear again.

She has had a generous response, she said – about 75 dresses in a wide range of styles and sizes – and she will be accepting donations through the beginning of April. Some people drop off dresses at the school, and sometimes Kent and her mother pick them up.

The original idea was to distribute the gowns among Martin Luther King High students, she said, but there have been inquiries from other schools and now Kent hopes to make prom dresses available regardless of school boundaries. She said she is looking for a place off campus where girls can try the dresses on.

“These are all pretty dresses, and a lot of them are new, with all their tags still on them,” she said.

Kent said she loves dresses with sparkles, and her favorite color is blue. Several in her collection fit that profile, but she won’t be wearing one. These dresses are for other girls. She feels lucky that her family has resources to send her to a prom.

Assistant Principal Gerard Reller said he admires the generous spirit that prompts many Martin Luth King High students to reach out to help others.

“This project is just like Caitlyn,” he said. “She takes care of people.”

When she isn’t adding to her gown collection, Kent enjoys her academic pursuits, especially in the sciences. She played volleyball last year but decided to concentrate on her studies this year.

“It really hit me that I needed to keep my academics up,” she said. “I’m going to be applying to colleges next year.”

She still plays club volleyball, she said.

Born and raised in Riverside, Kent is the daughter of Don and Lena Kent.

“I’m so grateful for all I have,” she said. “And everyone deserves a chance to feel like a princess.”

The generosity and kindness shown by the Kent is a great example of seizing our destiny’s unified city pillar. Makbul Kent demonstrates that we are a caring community that has compassion for all of its inhabitants, and engages with one another for a better life for all.

]]>http://seizingourdestiny.com/75-prom-gowns-donated-to-the-princess-treatment-dresses-campaign/feed/0Two Of CBU’s Publications Won Top National Awardshttp://seizingourdestiny.com/two-of-cbus-publications-won-top-national-awards/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/two-of-cbus-publications-won-top-national-awards/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 19:43:47 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9307Continue reading Two Of CBU’s Publications Won Top National Awards→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article published in CBU News & Events on March 20, 2015.)Photo Credit: CBU

Two of California Baptist University’s campus publications, The Banner newspaper and Pursuitmagazine, took home top national awards at recent journalism conferences in Los Angeles and New York City.

The Associated College Press awarded 1st place “Best of Show” awards to both The Bannernewspaper and Pursuit magazine, in those respective categories, and The Banner Onlineearned the 5th place award in the Best Website category. The 31st Annual ACP National College Journalism Convention was held in Los Angeles Feb. 26 to March 1. A complete list of winners is available by clicking here.

“This is really unprecedented in my experience that one program would be awarded 1st place Best of Show in both the newspaper and magazine categories,” said Dr. Michael Chute, director of the journalism & new media and public relations program. “It is the third year in a row that The Banner has been named the top ‘Best of Show’ newspaper at the ACP convention. This really speaks to the quality work our students do on the campus publications and the top honor three years in a row shows how consistent our students have been in producing quality publications.”

CBU’s constant achievements help make the university and Riverside a location of choice for students seeking the best education for a reasonable price.

In the California College Media Association convention Feb. 28, CCMA awarded seven CBU students for outstanding achievement in writing, photography and design. The Pursuit staff also earned an honorable mention in the Best Magazine category.

At its Spring National College Media Convention in New York City March 11-14, the College Media Association awarded Pursuit magazine 2nd place in Best Magazine Spread, as well as 3rd place in Best Overall Design for another magazine spread, which competed against design entries from newspapers, magazines, yearbooks and advertising.

Colleges and universities from across the U.S. enter publications in the ACP and College Media Association competitions each year.

Awards like the Governor’s Award for Innovation in Higher Education are great examples of Seizing Our Destiny’s intelligent growth pillar by not only embracing the universities and schools, but the entire Riverside economy.

FACE and its subcommittees are tackling the problem from two sides: make sure inland high school students are ready for college when they graduate, and increase the number of inland college students who actually earn a bachelor’s degree.

The Governor’s Award proposal, submitted by Cal State University San Bernardino President Tomás Morales and Rachel Weiss, CSUSB’s director of research of sponsored programs, sets specific benchmarks for meeting those goals by 2020:

Use FACE and its 175 members to align educational policy and initiatives between the two counties to both improve college outcomes and keep those college graduates here, working jobs in the Inland Empire

Reduce the number of college freshmen who need remediation classes by 20 percent by increasing college readiness at the high school level, particularly in math.

Increase the number of bachelor degrees earned at inland universities by 15 percent

Increase the number of students completing their bachelor’s degrees within six years by 10 percent

Strengthen partnerships with Inland Empire industries to better align education with workforce needs, such as creating more college internship opportunities to give students a chance to better understand what employers need, and help them develop business relationships while they’re in college.

Beefing up math instruction at the high school level is a key part of the proposal, because math is one of the biggest hurdles to college completion, said Pamela Clute, a Ph.D. math instructor, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) advocate and UC Riverside’s special assistant to the chancellor.

Clute developed the FACE collaborative in 2009, at the behest of then-Chancellor Timothy P. White, who has since gone on to become president of the California State University system. UCR Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox has continued UCR’s support for the project, and now co-chairs the FACE-IEEP Educational Council with Morales.

After a car accident five years ago caused a traumatic brain injury and numerous broken bones, Rebecca Trupp, senior mechanical engineering major at California Baptist University, was forced to relearn basic life skills.

Trupp dreamed of designing and working for NASCAR and felt she had to re-evaluate her career when she was no longer able to process mathematical and engineering concepts.

In 2012, Trupp developed an outreach program using NAO robots with guidance from Dr. Anthony Donaldson, dean and professor of the College of Engineering, and Dr. Liya Grace Ni, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The NAO robots were first introduced when the College of Engineering received a W.M. Keck grant of $250,000. The money funds Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) hardware, as well as advanced computing and full-body robots and robotics equipment.

Trupp reached out to local schools to educate students on engineering along with other opportunities available with a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degree.

With a passion to serve her community, she accepted a challenge proposed by Donaldson to recruit K-12 students with programmed robots. It was then that the NAO Outreach program was implemented.

The NAO Outreach program serves as an example of the possibilities that come from engineering programs. Promoting engineering from CBU is only a portion of a nationwide campaign designed to educate and encourage more students to pursue an education in STEM. Programs like this are great examples of Seizing Our Destiny’s catalyst for innovation pillar. Encouraging students to pursue an education in STEM is no easy task, but for Rebecca Trupp robotics is her her vehicle to do so. Creativity and innovation permeate all that we do, which makes our community a trendsetter for the region, California, and the world to follow.

]]>http://seizingourdestiny.com/cbu-student-initiates-robotics-program/feed/0Riverside Couple Collaborates To Better The Lives Of Othershttp://seizingourdestiny.com/riverside-couple-received-a-riverside-heroes-award/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/riverside-couple-received-a-riverside-heroes-award/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 15:29:49 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9294Continue reading Riverside Couple Collaborates To Better The Lives Of Others→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article written by Melanie C. Johnson and published in The Press Enterprise on March 13, 2015.)Damien and Jenn O’Farrell with one-year-old daughter Marleigh. The couple, dedicated to community service, won a Riverside Heroes Award late last year. Photo Credit: Melanie Johnson, Contributing Photographer

Riverside residents Damien and Jennifer “Jenn” O’Farrell see their desire to serve their community as just a part of who they are.

For Damien, a former church youth pastor, it’s his calling. Jenn traces it back to her childhood, when she would go with her mom to visit her great grandfather at a senior-living facility. They would cap the day by going to the rooms of other residents to offer greetings.

Damien serves on the Riverside Neighborhood Partnership and both he and Jenn worked with others to co-found Pick Group, an organization that brings young professionals together to socialize and find ways to impact the community socially.

Damien has been at the helm of Path of Life Ministriesin Riverside for seven years. His organization has three shelter programs for homeless individuals and families with children. Most of the 1,500 people the nonprofit serves in its shelters are children under the age of 10, he said.

Other nonprofits Path of Life has launched include Health to Hope Clinics, which offers medical services to people in need, and Path of Life Enterprises, a transitional employment program. The first business opened under that program is Angel Wings Bakery, which sells its goods online, he said.

Jenn has been with the newly formed Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Empire chapter for a year. The program serves at-risk children and youth ages 6 to 18, providing them with a one-on-one mentor. Before this post, she previously co-facilitated a task force on human trafficking.

In working with victims of human trafficking, she said she learned from the teen girls she served that if they had positive role models and mentors earlier in life, their lives might have taken a different path.

“Seventy-five percent of those we serve come from single-family homes and are at risk for homelessness or gang violence, so mentors are needed at the tipping point to point them in another direction,” she said. “All of us have had a mentor at some point. While our mentors happen naturally, it’s not happening for the children we serve.”

Damien said while some may see problems such as homelessness or human trafficking as impenetrable, he feels efforts to make the community better do have an impact.

“It’s important for all of us to do what we can to better the lives of other people,” he said. “There’s a tangible cost to homelessness, and there is also an opportunity cost. Bringing families stability is what opens them up to generations of opportunity and following dreams instead of generations of poverty.”

Damien and Jenn exemplify Seizing Our Destiny’s unified city pillar. Riversiders such as Damien and Jenn are working together everyday to not only address local issues, but to also have a positive impact on the region, nation, and the world.

]]>http://seizingourdestiny.com/riverside-couple-received-a-riverside-heroes-award/feed/0Film Camp Offers Hope For Pediatric Cancer Patientshttp://seizingourdestiny.com/film-camp-offers-hope-for-pediatric-cancer-patients/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/film-camp-offers-hope-for-pediatric-cancer-patients/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 15:29:36 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9285Continue reading Film Camp Offers Hope For Pediatric Cancer Patients→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article written by Bettye Miller and published in UCR Today on March 12, 2015.)Cassie Nguyen, a senior public policy major and brain cancer survivor, will introduce her Spotlight On Hope Film Camp to the community on April 2. Photo Credit: UCR Today

Brain cancer. Not the diagnosis Cassie Nguyen was expecting as a sophomore at Riverside’s Martin Luther King High School. Neither was the debilitating surgery that saved her life.

Today, Nguyen is an honor student and School of Public Policy ambassador at the University of California, Riverside, where she will graduate in June. She is a 10-year cancer survivor, American Cancer Society advocate, and the creator of Spotlight On Hope Film Camp, a free film making program for pediatric cancer patients that until now has been held only in Los Angeles.

Nguyen hopes to bring the film camp to UC Riverside and the Inland Empire, and is screening short films written and produced by pediatric cancer patients in the program on Thursday, April 2, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Highlander Union Building 367. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lot 1; pick up parking permits at the Kiosk on West Campus Drive at the University Avenue entrance to the campus. Reservations are requested as seating is limited and may be made online. The screening is co-sponsored by University Honors and the Women’s Resource Center.

The Riverside resident said she hopes the screening will generate support to expand the program to the Inland Empire. She hopes eventually to establish a nonprofit foundation and offer film camps across the country.

Approximately 13,500 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S., and about 25 percent of them die, Nguyen said. Although Spotlight On Hope Film Camp does not reduce the death rate, it does provide a therapeutic outlet for pediatric cancer patients, she explained.

“I know how boring the hospital scene is,” Nguyen said, recalling the surgery to remove the tumor from her brain, a year of radiation and chemotherapy, and physical therapy to learn to write with her left hand and regain mobility to address on-going balance and difficult vision issues. “I wanted to do something to help kids take their minds off what was happening to them and give them something to look forward to.”

Nguyen suggested the film camp for young cancer patients while working as an intern for Think Ten Media Group, a production company based in Castaic that aims to use the power of media to create change and spread awareness of key issues.

She raised $700 to cover production costs of the first camp, held in September 2013, by selling plastic cancer bracelets to UCR faculty and students, family and friends in her junior year. She dedicated the first film camp to a younger cousin who died of sarcoma cancer at age 14.

Think Ten Media Group co-founders and filmmakers Ramon Hamilton and Jennifer Fischer helped Nguyen develop the Spotlight On Hope Film Camp for pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as part of their company’s arts education program. The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television hosts the camp in Los Angeles.

When the film camp proved to be successful, Nguyen applied for and won a $10,000 scholarship from the Donald A. Strauss PublicService Scholarship Foundation in 2014, which funded 10 more film camps at UCLA. The foundation awards $10,000 scholarships to as many as 15 California college juniors annually to support public-service projects that the students carry out during their senior year.

Spotlight On Hope Film Camp allows patients to explore the art of green screen and special effects film-making while working in groups to create a short, green screen and special effects film. The participants, who range in age from 8 to 22, also learn about story/character development, camera technique, video and FX editing during three days of weekend classes.

“Being a pediatric patient myself, I understand how valuable a creative therapeutic outlet can be in the midst of your long, dreadful and difficult journey battling cancer,” Nguyen explained. “Spotlight On Hope Film Camp can help children live in a fantasy world that allows them to get away from all their troubles and create lasting memories.”

Nguyen efforts to put smiles on pediatric cancer patients faces is a great example of Seizing Our Destiny’s unified city pillar, she demonstrates that we’re a caring community that has compassion for all of its inhabitants, and engages with one another for a better life for all.

]]>http://seizingourdestiny.com/film-camp-offers-hope-for-pediatric-cancer-patients/feed/0North High’s Rich Davis Awarded County Certificated Administrator Of The Year Awardhttp://seizingourdestiny.com/north-highs-rich-davis-awarded-county-certificated-administrator-of-the-year-award/
http://seizingourdestiny.com/north-highs-rich-davis-awarded-county-certificated-administrator-of-the-year-award/#commentsTue, 17 Mar 2015 15:29:17 +0000http://seizingourdestiny.com/?p=9291Continue reading North High’s Rich Davis Awarded County Certificated Administrator Of The Year Award→]]>(This article contains excerpts from the article posted on the Riverside Unified School District website.)Photo Credit: RUSD

Congratulations to North High School Assistant Principal Rich Davis, who has been named the Riverside County Office of Education’s Certificated Administrator of the Year! Mr. Davis learned of the honor with a surprise visit from Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenn Young on Monday.

Awards like this demonstrate what makes Riverside a location of choice for residents seeking a great education.

Educators of the year are selected by a committee comprised of Riverside County educators—including former honorees—that review nominations, letters of recommendation, and other criteria. Committee members also conduct selected site visits and interviews as part of the awards process.

Viewpoints received a Best of Show Award March 1 at the Associated Collegiate Press National College Journalism Convention in Universal City, placing fourth among community college newspapers. More than 700 students from the U.S. and Canada attended the convention, which included workshops, an awards ceremony and four keynote speeches.

Allan Lovelace, advisor for the newspaper, said the award recognizes the students’ talent, hard work and commitment to public service.

“The student journalists place a premium on public service with their newspaper,” he said. “That is one of their main goals.”

Wining the Associated Collegiate Press’ Best of Show Award is Viewpoints’ third, with the newspaper also winning in 2011 and 2004. The newspaper and its students have also received from ACP national story of the year awards in 2009, 2003 and 2000; national Pacemaker award in 2005 and 2004; and five All-American awards since 1998.

Viewpoints students received four individual awards from the California College Media Association at the convention. Editor-in-chief James Williams received a third-place award for an editorial about expired elevator permits at RCC, Steven Smith received a third-place award for a video about RCC Astronomy instructor Scott Blair, Crystal Olmedo received an honorable mention for a news series about crime statistics and David Roman received an honorable mention for a critical review about the band Bleached. Viewpoints students entered their Oct. 30 issue, which included coverage of Athletic Hall of Fame inductees and the District police’s reporting timeline for the Cleary Report.

RCC’s outstanding achievements makes Riverside a location of choice for students seeking a great education at an affordable cost.

Information about Viewpoints and RCC’s Journalism program is available at 951-222-8487 and at rccjournalism.blogspot.com.